Goa Khabar : In a proud moment for the state, five school students from Goa have been selected to represent India at the FIRST Global Challenge 2026, an Olympics-style international robotics competition to be held in Incheon, Republic of Korea from 7th to 10th October 2026. The FIRST Global Challenge is an annual Olympics-style international robotics competition organised by FIRST Global, a not-for-profit public charity based in the United States. Each participating nation sends one team to design, build, and program a robot around a global challenge theme.
The official FIRST Global Challenge 2026 Team India comprises five students from Goa, each bringing unique skills that together make Tech Infinity competition-ready on the global stage. The team consists of Sparsh Swapnesh Verlekar, Saraswat Vidyalaya, Mapusa; Dhruv Samir Salgaonkar, Saraswat Vidyalaya, Mapusa; Soham Mahesh Redkar, Saraswat Vidyalaya, Mapusa; Avaneesh Devendra Phadte, Mushtifund High School, Cujira, Goa; and Anam Raza, Poddar International School, Old Goa.
The team, Tech Infinity, secured its place as Team India 2026 after winning the Vikram Sarabhai Award for National Excellence at the Bharatiya Yantra Khel Mahotsav (BYKM) 2026, the national selection competition organised by the STEM Education Trust. The team comprises students from Saraswat Vidyalaya, Mapusa, Mushtifund School, Panaji, and Poddar School, Old Goa. Many of them come from government-aided schools and middle-class families.
Goa’s student robotics community has long found a committed ally in Hon’ble Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant, whose support for young innovators representing the state on national and international platforms has been consistent and impactful. Over the years, Goan teams traveling for global competitions have been personally felicitated by the Chief Minister, an encouragement that has deeply motivated students and their families.
Speaking on the achievement, Gagan Goyal, Founder, SET said, “Team India represents everything SET was founded to nurture — curiosity, grit, and the courage to dream big. These students don’t just compete; they come back and teach, mentor, and inspire the next generation. Supporting them is not charity — it is an investment in a movement.”
It is a story of persistence, parent-led support, volunteer mentorship, and belief. Over the last few years, the students have built their skills in robotics, CAD design, Java programming, strategy, and teamwork. They competed at national platforms, faced failures, learned from them, and came back stronger. Their selection now places them on a global platform alongside nearly 195 countries.
The 2026 challenge theme is “Igniting Innovation,”which focuses on how technology can reduce the risk and impact of fires and support environmental resilience. Over the coming months, the team will design, build, program, and test its competition robot, and will also represent India as cultural ambassadors at the event in South Korea. The team is mentored by Mr. Anay Kamat and Mr. Saieesh Gandhi, and supported by Saraswat Vidyalaya, Mapusa, their parents, and Goa’s growing STEM community. As a grassroots team, they are now seeking support from government, corporates, and the community to help them participate on the world stage.
This selection comes at a time when the Government of Goa’s CARES scheme is introducing robotics to thousands of students. Team Tech Infinity’s journey offers a powerful example of what Goan students can achieve with discipline and the right support.
Anay Kamat, Mentor, added: “Watching these students grow has been deeply inspiring. They kept learning and improving at every stage. Their selection is a deserving recognition of their hard work, and I hope their journey inspires many more student teams across Goa and India, especially those guided by teachers and parents without formal coaching infrastructure.”
India has a strong record at the FIRST Global Challenge since its first edition in 2017. Team India has won several major recognitions over the years, including awards for engineering design, helping hands, innovation journey, fundraising, safety, social media, and international collaboration. The 2025 edition of Team India came from the Atal Tinkering Lab of a government school in Malleswaram, Bengaluru – the same lab that hosted BYKM 2026. In 2026, the mantle now passes to Goa.
As Team Tech Infinity prepares to represent India at the FIRST Global Challenge 2026 in Incheon, the team expresses its sincere gratitude to Hon’ble CM Dr. Pramod Sawant and the Government of Goa for their continued support and belief in the state’s young achievers.
